NEWS News

On September 4, 2024 (Wed.), JaCER held the 4th General Membership Meeting and the 1st Practical Training on Engagement and Remedy for FY2024 at JEITA (Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association) (Tokyo, Japan). The event was held in a hybrid format with 41 member companies and about 80 participants including real and online participants.

The first half of the practical training on engagement and remedy was based on the theme of “Sharing approaches and challenges at each regular member company,” and was discussed in the form of group discussions, and covered the following topics: activities to raise awareness of the grievance mechanisms including JaCER, promotion of understanding among in-house and departments regarding business and human rights and access to remedy, development and operation of the grievance mechanisms in overseas groups, and other challenges.

In the latter half of the session, a panel discussion was held on the theme of “Business and Human Rights and Access to Redress from ESG Perspectives,” with Representative Director Sakon Kuramoto serving as the moderator and Minoru Matsubara (Chief Sustainability Officer, Responsible Investment Department, Resona Asset Management), Yuki Miyota (Project Researcher, The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Frontier Sciences)  and Daisuke Takahashi (Attorney-at-Law, Representative Director of JaCER) as the speakers. Discussions and trends in business and human rights among investors and the United Nations were introduced, and a lively discussion ensued on the direction that companies should take in the future, including the initiatives expected of companies from the investors' perspectives, the nexus between human rights and environment that has been the focus of attention recently, and responses to emerging risks.

At the 4th General Membership Meeting held in conjunction with the conference, Representative Director Hidemi Tomita reported on the results of grievances to JaCER, opinions from the members of the stakeholder panels, and measures to strengthen JaCER for the coming year.

JaCER will continue to provide opportunities to promote understanding of the grievance mechanisms and other related issues in cooperation with experts and knowledgeable organizations in Japan and abroad.